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Purgatory
Purgatory '''(also known as '''Purgatorio in Italian) was the second Kingdom of the Afterlife and was a major realm in Dante's Inferno. Overview The realm of Purgatory appeared briefly at the end of Dante's Inferno when Dante finally escaped Hell. When Dante slowly made his way out of a cave, naked and stripped of all of his equipment, he walked out to the view of a large mountain with several waterfalls streaming out of it at several points. Stating, "I did not die and I did not live," Dante smiled and ripped the cross-shaped tapestry off his chest, tossing it aside. Dante then began to walk toward the mountain. His long journey through the Inferno finally came to an end, but his journey through Purgatory only just began. Dante's Purgatory In The Divine Comedy, Lucifer's fall created Hell, which in turn displaced land on the opposite side of the world. This created Mount Purgatory. The Roman philosopher, Cato the Younger, was Charon's counterpart here as ferryman of the repentant sinners (their contrition has saved them from being condemned to Hell). He is cast in this role by Dante, despite being a pagan, because of his fame as an orator and a virtuous man. In an Ante-Purgatory (counterpart to Hell's Limbo and Shores of Acheron) are those who were excommunicated or late repentant, including those who did not receive Last Rites. These souls wait for their chance to begin their ascent up Purgatory but remained joyful, as their presence here was a clear sign that they were spared from Hell. Beyond that and the Valley of Rulers (containing the souls of monarchs who were unable to worship God properly because of their royal duties) stretched Purgatory proper. In a manner similar to Hell, Purgatory was divided into separate concentric areas. These areas, called Terraces (Cornices in some translations), went upwards around the mountain. On each terrace, the penitent atone for a different deadly sin. In order from bottom to top, the sins addressed in these terraces are: Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony and Lust. The Deadly Sins expunged here are classified into three categories: Corrupted Love that caused harm (Pride, Envy, Anger), Deficient Love (Sloth) and Excessive Love of good things (Greed, Gluttony, Lust). As in the Inferno, symbolic retribution was enforced - for example, the proud must carry great weights upon their backs - and the countering virtues to each vice (for example, Humility countering Pride) are present on each terrace in two Biblical and two Classical examples. An appropriate Beatitude was associated with each terrace as well. At the very end of each terrace stands an angel, who fully absolves the penitent and allows them passage further upwards. Unlike Hell, souls can move between terraces, but only under specific conditions. The souls can advance among the terraces during daylight hours only, and all obey a code of honor to rise to the next terrace once they truly felt that they atoned completely for a specific sin. The focus of Purgatory was not on the action of sin, like Hell, but on the motive which caused the sins to occur. Furthermore, if a soul was guilty of one sin but not others, they could skip ahead of other Terraces. For example, if a soul was guilty of only Pride and Lust, after repenting on the Terrace of Pride, they could skip all other Terraces and advance directly to the Terrace of Lust. At the summit was the Garden of Eden, where those who completed their time in Purgatory ascended to Heaven. This final ascent of any soul was signified by an earthquake harmlessly shaking the mountain. It was also here that Virgil departed (as being a pagan, he could not enter God's presence. Virgil was also symbolic of Human Reason, which can only take a person so far in reaching God). Dante was then reunited with Beatrice, who became his guide in Heaven. Dante's Journal *As Dante leaves Hell and rips the cross from his chest, the cross morphs into an ashen serpent, and Lucifer's laughter can be heard. This may indicate that Dante is not quite free from Lucifer's machinations yet. *In "The Inferno," to leave Hell Dante hangs onto Virgil's back and they proceed to slowly make their way down Lucifer's body (which is said to span the entire diameter of Earth). They then arrive in the Southern Hemisphere. Once there, Dante and Virgil both finally reach the surface and proceed to observe the stars in Heaven, before beginning the journey to Purgatory. *While journeying through the circle of Fraud in Hell, Dante encounters the soul of the Greek hero Odysseus (Ulysses), who describes his final voyage. During this trip, Odysseus actually spotted Purgatory at a distance. However, when he attempted to get nearer to the mountain, his ship was capsized by a massive wave, as no living human was meant to go there against God's will. The king of Ithaca drowned as a result of the ship sinking. *Each sin in Purgatory is purged by a poetically appropriate penance: **Those guilty of the sin of Pride are loaded with weights so they will be perpetually bowing down, in opposition to their haughty nature in life. As they walk with these burdens, they behold beautiful carvings on the ground, depicting both Biblical and mythological examples of Pride, and its opposing Virtue, Humility. The prayer associated with this terrace is the Lord's Prayer (Our Father), and the Beatitude "Blessed are the poor in spirit." **The Envious have their eyes sewn shut, similar to hawks being trained to hunt, as their eyes were the chief gateway of their sin; they saw what they could not have and became jealous. Voices on the air state examples of Envy and its opposite, Kindness, as the sinners listen. **The ones who had fallen victim to their Wrath walk about this terrace in a cloud of thick, acrid smoke, which reflects the bitter, blinding nature of rage. The examples of Anger and its opposite, Patience, are given as visions to the souls since the smoke prohibits visual examples. The prayer associated with this place is the Agnus Dei, which the souls on this terrace all sing together as one, symbolizing their need to learn to work together in union. The corresponding Beatitude is "Blessed are the Meek." **The Slothful here race around the terrace without stopping, attempting to purge their sin by use of Diligence, the opposite Virtue of Sloth. As they run, they yell out the examples of Sloth and Diligence they need to learn from. Due to being so busy, they don't speak with Dante or Virgil, and only quickly shout back directions to them as they run by. The associated Beatitude is "Blessed are they who mourn." **The Avaricious Souls lie face down on the dusty ground, unable to see items that would trigger their greed. They yell out the examples of Greed by night, and examples of the corresponding Virtue of Generosity/Poverty by day. The associated prayer is Psalm 119.25. This is stated by Dante to be the most crowded of the terraces, since greed and wastefulness are such common sins. It is so packed he and Virgil have to carefully make their way around all of the souls lying on the ground. **In order to redeem their Gluttony, the souls on that terrace fast in the presence of an enormous tree full of fruit, starving themselves to the point that their souls actually grow thinner as they reflect on their sin. The tree itself speak to the penitents, denying them its fruits, and giving the examples of Gluttony's opposite, Temperance. A second tree at the end of the terrace gives the actual examples of the sin itself; this second tree is stated as being related to the Tree of Knowledge (though the original Tree is located in Eden, at the very top of the mountain). The associated prayer is Psalm 51:15. Dante invents a new Beatitude for this terrace: "Blessed are they who are so illumined by grace that the love of food does not kindle their desires beyond what is fitting." **Finally, the Lustful continually weave in and out of a massive wall of flames to purify themselves of their guilt. As they go, they shout out examples of Lust, and praises for its opposite, Chastity, in Biblical and mythical tales. Surprisingly, some of the Sodomites are found here repenting as well, embracing one another and kissing chastely as they speed by. Once these souls feel they have fully repented of their sin, they will pass completely through the flames to enter the Earthly Paradise (the Garden of Eden, which will lead on to Heaven itself). No matter what the sin, every soul in Purgatory must pass through this final wall of fire. The associated prayer is the hymn "Summae Deus Clementiae" (God of Supreme Clemency). Category:Kingdom of the Afterlife Category:Locations